D.C. officials: 9 shot, 3 dead; arrests, no motive

WASHINGTON (AP) - A drive-by shooting killed three people and wounded six others in the nation's capital Tuesday night, and three people were in custody, officials said.

A gunman sprayed bullets "into a crowd," said Police Chief Cathy Lanier. The shootings of six men and three women happened about 7:30 p.m. around the 4000 block of South Capitol Street in the southeastern part of the city, said D.C. Police Department spokesman Officer Hugh Carew. Fire Department spokesman Pete Piringer says all were in their 20s and 30s, except for one teenager.

One victim died at the scene, one was dead on arrival at the hospital, and the third died in the operating room, said Carolyn Hammond, spokeswoman for Washington Hospital Center. She said a fourth person was in critical condition late Tuesday.

Three people were arrested and a weapon was recovered, according to police who said they had no motive. The Washington Post reported that police pursued a van from the scene, aided by a helicopter.

Four D.C. officers were slightly injured while chasing a suspect's vehicle into neighboring Prince George's County, authorities said.

The neighborhood is near a water treatment plant and Bolling Air Force Base. Sections of southeastern D.C. have problems with crime, though surprised neighbors told local media that the area was not a bad place to live and wasn't dangerous.

Washington reported 143 homicides last year, the fewest in nearly 50 years.

The crime scene stretched for blocks and streets were blocked off.